More They Make, More They Give; Businesses, PGA Tour Donate Part of Earnings to Community

Article excerpt

PONTE VEDRA BEACH Being an out-of-state caterer for professional golf tournaments often irritates local people until they discover that much of the profit goes back to the community.

Since 2004, when Prom Catering of Minnesota began working with The Players Championship, it has donated about $100,000 to local organizations, said Todd Hanson, Prom's vice president of operations. This year's recipients include Fletcher High School, the Terry Parker High School softball team and the Florida First Coast Civitan Club.

"It's what we do everywhere we go," Hanson said. "It's a great way to keep a lot of the money in the community. It's a win-win."

Now that The Players has implemented more shaded areas for golf fans to relax and escape the heat, Prom hopes fans will spend more money and time at the concession stands. More revenue means more money that can be donated to community organizations, Hanson said.

"The shaded areas are great for spectators," he said. "Areas like this definitely increase our sales. We could probably expect to see 10 percent plus in sale increases."

Incorporating more shaded areas seemed to be working this week. Fans were also walking along the courses and inside Jeld-Wen Stadium Village and PwC First Tee Challenge cooling off and enjoying the activities. The activities include ball fittings, health screenings, massages and playing the PGA Tour on Wii and Kodak Stadium pictures. The air-conditioned stadium village is free and open to everyone.

Golf enthusiast Sue Allalemdjian of St. Augustine sat under a tent to cool off near hole 18 while eating a hot dog and drinking a diet Coke on Tuesday afternoon. When she learned that proceeds from the food she bought were going to charity, she was elated.

"There are a lot of needy worthwhile causes," she said. "They don't have to give money away, but it's very generous that they do."

Each of Prom's 13 concession stands, including its subcontracted stands, are dedicated to an organization. Each tent is staffed with 12 to 30 volunteers from the organizations and one manager from Prom. …